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November 15, 2011

1917 World Series Footage - Nearly 7 Minutes

UPDATE: Jere notes in comments that the third clip, at the bottom of this post, is from Game 1 of the 1916 World Series - Brooklyn Dodgers vs Boston red Sox at Braves Field. It is significantly mislabelled. (Clip 1 is also labelled 1916, but it is obviously 1917.)

Critical Past has at least three silent video clips (lasting a total of almost seven minutes) of footage of the 1917 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants. Information on the identity of most of the players/personnel comes from members of SABR's Deadball Era Committee (not all IDs may be correct), which got wind of the links via John Thorn.

The first clip has footage from Game 1, as well as pre-game stuff: fans waiting to get into Comiskey Park, the managers - Pants Rowland (White Sox) and John McGraw (Giants) - reviewing the ground rules, and starting pitchers Eddie Cicotte (RH) and Slim Sallee (LH) warming up. From the look of the White Sox players, it's Hammer Time.

In the long shot of the White Sox dugout, Happy Felsch is on the far left, with John "Shano" Collins beside him, followed by Fred McMullin and Reb Russell (just past the big baseball). Joe Jackson and Nemo Leibold may be standing outside the dugout, with Eddie Cicotte in the background and Chick Gandil and Byrd Lynn in front of Cicotte. ... The black man on the Giants bench at the one-minute mark may be J. L. Mackall, the team's trainer. Manager John McGraw is sitting in front of the dugout, with Art Fletcher on his right and Red Murray on his left.

This scoreboard outside the New York American newspaper offices gave fans the opportunity to follow the game from Chicago as it happens. Fred McMullin has just driven in the first run of the series in the bottom of the third, and Eddie Collins is now batting. The White Sox will win 2-1 and take the series in six games, despite being shutout for 24 consecutive innings. Despite the Giants playing on the road, they are listed as the home team (perhaps "Giants" is permanently affixed, since the scoreboard is in New York). (More information and pictures of how fans followed baseball games from afar more than 100 years ago can be found here.)

Footage from Games 3 (October 10) and 4 (October 11), played at the Polo Grounds in Washington Heights, in upper Manhattan. New York Mayor John Mitchel arrives and throws out the first pitch. The Giants win 2-0, scoring in the fourth when Holke doubles in Robison and Burns singles in Holke. In Game 4, Benny Kauff hits his first of two home runs; this one is an inside-the-park dong to center. New York wins 5-0. (The two Giants talking together are Rube Benton and Dave Robertson.)

Whoa---that "third clip" you linked is NOT 1917, but the 1916 World Series, game 1. Those are the Red Sox and Dodgers at Braves Field. (If you read the text that flashes by, it says Duffy Lewis is knocking in Hoblitzel in the third. This is Game 1, 1916.)

Yeah, I just had to restart my browser. (I guess I didn't clarify before my other comments that I am now indeed able to watch these--I wasn't just deducing it was 1916 from looking at the stills or anything, ha.)

Fun! I can't believe the crowds is all men---and wearing ties, coats and hats!! What was wrong with those people? This was BASEBALL, not the opera or theater.

Boy, I am so lucky I live now. First, I probably never would have gotten to a baseball game, but would have been home cooking and cleaning. And two, I could never have gone out in public wearing jeans and t-shirts.

As late as the 1950s, when you see the crowds at sporting events, men were in suits and hats, and women were in dresses - also with hats, of course. The footage from the 50s shows lots of women in the crowd. And I know my great-aunts used to attend local ballgames in Brooklyn in the 1920s, 30s and 40s.

It's just hard to imagine why people used to get so dressed up for a sporting event, but I guess they got dressed up for everything. Thank goodness that has changed! I'd be one miserable bitch if I had to wear what women were wearing in the 1950s or before. Girdles! Hoop skirts! Yikes!

People never went out in public without being hats, and for women, hats and gloves! Even pop bands wore slacks and jackets in the early 1960s!

But how restrictive women's clothes were depended on the era. The 1920s were good for women - loose clothes, smoking and drinking, driving - and going into all different professions. And during WWII when women worked in factories, things loosened up again. Then the 1950s came along and we had to be reined in again...